The Star Opinion: Learn Emergency Aid

I READ with sadness the case of a 10-month-old baby boy who choked to death on a fish ball while he was at a nursery (The Star, April 15). The report says the boy collapsed and turned blue. He was then sent to a hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Was any emergency aid performed on the boy when someone noticed that he was choking? It was far too late to do anything by the time they got the boy to the hospital.

The “Heimlich manoeuvre” may sound foreign and complicated, but it is actually a very simple method which could have been used to expel the fish ball from the boy’s throat. Firm slaps to the back, another recommended method, are also so simple for anyone to do. Just a few quick squeezes or strikes on the correct area might have saved a family so much grief!

On March 30, there was the case of a qualified diver who drowned in a condominium swimming pool. The man’s cries were heard by security guards and residents who informed the police. By the time policemen arrived and took him to a medical centre, he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Again, was any emergency aid performed on the man once he was retrieved from the water? Did any of the guards or residents have enough basic swimming skills to help the struggling man to the pool side or shallower area instead of waiting for the authorities to do something? (In some cases, however, it is not advisable for those with no lifeguard training to risk their own life in a rescue attempt.)

I believe both cases could have turned out very differently if anyone present at the scene had some basic knowledge of emergency aid, and the initiative to use it.

Perhaps a stronger focus on educating the general populace about basic emergency aid, and encouraging a selfless “Good Samaritan”, attitude is in order.

KUALA LUMPUR: An afternoon swim turned tragic for a family when a 41-year-old expatriate drowned in front of his children.

The American, a qualified diver, took his 12 and 10-year-old sons to the swimming pool at their luxury condominium in Bangsar on Sunday.

He is believed to have dived into the pool around 4pm, encouraging his younger son to join him.

However, he began to struggle to swim and called out to his sons for help.

The older boy rushed back to the condominium unit to alert his mother while his brother stood at the poolside screaming for help.

His cries caught the attention of the security guards and residents who informed the police.

Brickfields police chief Asst Comm Wan Abdul Bari Wan Abdul Khalid said police found the man floating in the pool and rushed him to the Damansara Specialist Medical Centre, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

It is learnt that the man worked for a foreign petroleum company.

“There was no foul play in the incident and we have classified the case as sudden death,” ACP Wan Abdul Bari said.